For the first time since having surgery on his right shoulder last season, Diamondbacks right-handed pitcher Brandon Webb was able to throw some pitches off a mound Monday. Manager A.J. Hinch was pleased that Webb was able to move into the next phase of his shoulder rehab. "This is a positive sign as we're getting close to spring training," he said. "I thought he looked good."
After finishing in the top two of NL Cy Young voting for three consecutive seasons -- including winning the award in 2006 -- Webb was only able to make one start a year ago. After the one disastrous outing, when he clearly wasn't healthy, Webb missed the rest of the season with the shoulder malady.
Webb, 30, is clearly one of the best pitchers in baseball when healthy. From 2006-08, he went 56-25 with a 3.13 ERA. He made the All-Star team all three seasons and he also rolled up 12 complete games and seven shutouts during that time. Furthermore, Webb takes pressure off the bullpen by racking up the innings, as he averaged 232 innings of work per season from 2005-08.
Whether or not he'll be healthy enough to do so in 2010 will be a big part of deciding how well they fare in the NL West. Webb himself seemed to be pleased with the progress he felt Tuesday.
"I felt good this morning, he said. "I'm right where I expected to be. Having not been on the mound in a year, I am pleased with how I felt."
